Floor-laying tool.



A. N. LANDGRA-F.

v FLOOR LAYING TOOL. APPLICATION man APR. 11. 1914.

1,159,963. Patented Nov. 9. 1915.

KN. Lvandgraf 1X) 44 comm ALBERT NIGHOLES LANDGRAF. OF W'ASECA, MINNESOTA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-THIRD T0 SYLVESTER J. MATZ, OF WASECA, MINNESOTA.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALBERT N ICHOLES LANDGRAF, a citizen of the United States. residing at WVaseca, in the county of .Vaseca and State of Minnesota, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Floor- Laying Tools, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to new and useful improvements in floor laying tools, and has for its principal object to provide a tool which will engage the floor boards and force the same into position without in any way injuring the boards.

Another object of the invention is to eliminate the danger of injuring the tongues on floor boards.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a flooring tool which will also serve as a nail punch to insure the nails be ing properly placedand firmly driven in position.

With these and other objects in view the invention consists in the novel combination and arrangement of parts which will be fully set forth in the following specification and accompanying drawing, in which:

Figure 1 is a side View in elevation of a tool constructed in accordance with this invention, showing the same as it would appear when in use in laying flooring, and Fig. 2 is a top plan view of Fig. 1.

eferring now to the drawings by characters of refernce the numeral 1 designates a piece of flooring of the usual construction which is provided with the ordinary tongue 2 and groove 3, the floor laying tool, which is designated usually by the numeral 4, is shown in position on the floor board 1 and will be more fully hereinafter described.

The floor laying tool4 preferably comprises the main body portion 5 having formed at one of its side edges the forward extension ortoe portion 6, which is preferably segmental in cross section and terminates in curved end 7, which is clearly Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed April 17, 1914.

Patented Nov. 9, 119115. Serial No. 832,602.

illustrated in F ig. l. The edge of the body portion 5 opposite the toe portion 6 is provided with the heel portion 8 forming the shoulder 9 which engages the edge of the floor board when the same is being put in place and serves as a nail punch to drive the nail heads home. A suitable cut out por tion is formed near the inner edge of the heel portion 8 and is so arranged that it forms the shoulder 10, which is spaced from the shoulder 9 a distance suliicient to accommodate the tongue 2 of the floor board. Extending upwardly and angularly from the body portion 5 is the anvil 11 which terminates in the enlarged striking head 12 to provide a striking surface against which the will be firmly driven in place so that the tongue of the adjacent board. will enter the groove in the board which is being positioned. Owing to the fact that the shoulder 9 lies against the floor board 1 at the point where the tongue 2 engages the same it will be apparent that the nail, which is indicated in the dotted lines in Fig. 1, will be drivenhome and the use of the ordinary type of nail punch eliminated. Should the user be forced to discontinue use or" the tool in the manner above referred to because of the fact that the wall of the building in which the flooring is being laid interferes with the operation the toe portion 6 may be brought into operation and used to pry the boards together.

While in the foregoing there has been shown and described the preferred embodiment of this invention it is to be understood that such changes in the combination and arrangement of parts as may fall Within the scope of the claim may be resorted to without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

Having thus described the invention what is claimed as new, is 2- A fioor laying 5 extending forwardly from one side edge of the body, a heel portion side edge of the body point near portion is formed, the 1 0 of the heel portionbeing formed at the other and extending to a the side edge on Which the toe lower forward edge cut away, an anvil extending upwardly and rearwardly from the body and a striking head at the upper end of the anv l.

In testimony wherepfl eflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

[ALBERT NICHOLES LANDGRAF.

Witnesses:

E. R. Connns'rnn,

FRANK M. KIESLER. 

